White Sox Out Of The Running For Dunn And Fielder? Berkman or Hawpe Possible?
Apparently deals for Prince Fielder or Adam Dunn are just ultimately too pricey for the present and future of the White Sox.
It’s being reported that deals for both Prince Fielder and Adam Dunn have moved to the wayside, giving the impression that the asking price for both of them is just too high for GM Kenny Williams and the White Sox brass to accept.
As the deals for Fielder and Dunn have apparently been pushed aside, it’s being reported that Lance Berkman and Brad Hawpe have moved up the White Sox wish list and may be on their way to the South Side after all.
Lance Berkman is having an off year after injuries caused him to start the year on the DL. He’s currently a .245/.372.436 player which is way off of his career marks of .296/.410/.549.
Brad Hawpe is essentially in the same situation Berkman is in. Leg and rib injuries have lowered his normal production. This year he’s at .259/.337/.439 while his career marks to this point are .281/.374/.493. He’s only hit 7 home runs this year but is showing improvement as he has hit 2 home runs in his last 3 games so things might be looking up for him for the rest of the season.
Berkman is a player the White Sox know very well and is a player they have looked at for years. He is having an off year due to injuries but would fit nicely at the Cell if the White Sox were to acquire him. Since 2000 he has averaged at least 20 home runs a season and has driven in over 100 RBI six out of the last nine years.
Hawpe has spent his whole career with the Rockies. He has hit at least 20 home runs the past 4 seasons and has at least 80 RBI for the past 4 seasons, including a career high 116 in 2007. An issue with Hawpe is that he strikes out a bit too frequently. Over his career he has averaged one strike out every 3.75 at bats so that could become an issue.
If both players can break out in the second half of the season after overcoming their injuries, I would be happy if the White Sox picked up either one of them but I think Berkman would be a better fit. Berkman can play in both the outfield and first base so if need be he could play in the field to give Konerko or someone in the outfield a day off just like Mark Kotsay and Andruw Jones do now. Berkman is also a switch hitter, something the White Sox don’t have, so while he is a left handed power hitter the White Sox could use, he could also bat righty if the situation called for it. He’s also a much better defender than Adam Dunn or Prince Fielder so that’s a plus there too. The biggest plus for either Hawpe or Berkman is that the cost would be much lower than it would be for Fielder or Dunn. Though if we were to get Berkman I have a feeling Hudson would be traded because the Astros just traded Roy Oswalt but we would have to see if that’s the case.
Either way, I’d be happy with either of those two than I would be to get Dunn or Fielder, whom the White Sox seem to covet more for one reason or another. As the deadline approaches things are going to get a little more chaotic and a little more hectic as the White Sox try to pound out a deal to help them in the fight for the division against the Twins. All I hope, and I speak for a lot of White Sox fans on this, is that the White Sox treasure their future more than they do the next couple months.
White Sox Sweep The Mariners Winning Their Fourth In A Row
Bring out the brooms White Sox fans, the White Sox swept the 4 game series against the Mariners with a 9-5 victory tonight.With this win, the White Sox have now won 11 straight at home and made themselves 9-1 against the Mariners for the year.
Freddy Garcia threw a quality outing after the disaster in Oakland and the White Sox offense picked him up to give him his 10th win of the year, making him the second White Sox starter to win at least 10 games this year. After giving up runs in the 1st and 3rd, the White Sox offense went into gear scoring 4 in the bottom of the 3rd. Juan Pierre hit a 2 run double to left that scored Alexei Ramirez and Ramon Castro and tied the game at 2. Omar Vizquel followed that with an RBI single and Alex Rios hit into a double play that scored Juan Pierre to give the White Sox a 4-2 lead. In the 4th Ramon Castro hit his 4th home run of the year to give the White Sox a 5-2 lead. The Mariners came back with 1 in the 6th but the White Sox responded with 2 runs of their own in the bottom of the inning. Castro hit his 2nd homer of the game and 5th of the year and Vizquel hit another RBI single to make the score 7-3. J.J. Putz came into the game in the 7th and gave up 2 runs, ending his franchise record consecutive scoreless appearance streak at 27 games. The White Sox again responded with 2 runs in the bottom of the inning in the form of back to back home runs by Paul Konerko and Carlos Quentin. Konerko now has homered in 4 straight games. Erick Threets pitched a scoreless 8th inning and Scott Linebrink pitched a perfect 9th to seal the deal and the sweep for the White Sox.
This offense is starting to come to life once again. Vizquel went 3-4 with 2 RBI, Castro went 3-4 with 2 RBI and 2 homers, Konerko is on fire with his 4 homers in 4 games, Quentin went 2-4 and hit another homer, and Beckham went 2-3 with 2 runs. It seems like everything is clicking again and the clutch hitting is coming back. Almost every time the Mariners scored, the White Sox responded in the bottom of that inning and that’s what we are going to need for the rest of the season. Besides Putz giving up the 2 runs, the bullpen yet again shut down the Mariners and are continuing their dominance. It looks like they are proving to Kenny Williams that a big bat like Adam Dunn isn’t necessary and they are doing one hell of a job of showing it.
Tomorrow night the White Sox look to make it 5 in a row and 12 in a row at home as they take on the Athletics. Daniel Hudson (1-1 6.32) takes on Dallas Braden (5-7 3.77) in what could very well be his last start as a member of the White Sox. Only time will tell whether it is or not but winning is what we need to focus on right now. The Tigers are dropping out of contention very quickly but those pesky “piranhas” up in Minnesota are still hanging around. We need to keep the momentum going because we have very important series coming up with both Minnesota and Detroit in the coming weeks and we can’t give them any higher ground. Let’s take it to the A’s and keep our sights on the division championship.
As always, GO WHITESOX!!!!!!!
Bobby Jenks Seems To Have Found His Fastball To Prove Just How Good The White Sox Bullpen Really Is
With the radar gun hitting 99 MPH, Bobby Jenks silenced his critics (at least for now) and left the Mariners stunned as he has seemingly found his fastball that has been lost for quite some time.
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Jenks earned his 21st save in 23 chances last night as he struck out the side in the 9th. That is the first time he has struck out the side for a perfect 9th since September 2,2006. Let me rephrase my earlier statement, he hasn’t lost his fastball for quite some time, he’s lost it for years.
With his closer role in question and the team and fans alike doubting whether he could revert back to his 2005 form, Jenks shoved fastball after fastball down the throats of not only the Mariners but each and every one of us as if to say, “Does it look like I lost my velocity? Do you want to doubt me now?” It looks like Jenks has kept his job safe for now, but whether this new found confidence stays around for long is anyone’s guess.
It’s performances like this that makes the White Sox bullpen one of the best bullpens in all of baseball. Even though Bobby Jenks has had two blown saves that looked absolutely horrible, you must take into account that they have been the only two blown saves he has had all year so he’s actually been very reliable. Us as fans are probably too quick to judge, but who can blame us when you blown a 4 run lead against the Twins. Any other team and it wouldn’t be half as bad but with the Twins being in our division and a rival, it means instantly putting Jenks on the chopping block. But regardless of that, Jenks has been a reliable closer all year long.
Tony Pena has been an absolute workhorse this year for us and probably the most important part of the bullpen to date. He may have an ERA of just under 5 but that’s because he has worked the most out of anyone. Whenever our starting pitching has gotten into a jam, he’s picked us up. When Freddy Garcia had the bad outing in Oakland, Pena came to give innings. When Peavy went down, who came in to eventually get us a win? That’s right, Tony Pena. He has had 7 games so far where he has pitched 3 innings or more. Without Pena, this bullpen would be over worked and nowhere near as effective as it is.
All Star Matt Thornton has had another magnificent year so far, being an All-Star pretty much explains that for itself. He has a 2.48 ERA this year and has given up no runs since July 8. He’s currently one of four members of the White Sox bullpen that are on a consecutive scoreless appearance streak with 17. He has given up no runs in the months of May or July, has a 54:13 K to BB ratio, and has dropped his ERA from a 3.81 to a 2.48.
Erick Threets hasn’t had many outings but has been very good when he has been needed. Although he has only pitched in 7 games this season he hasn’t given up a single run which puts him on a 7 game consecutive scoreless appearance streak.
Sergio Santos is the third White Sox pitcher on a consecutive scoreless appearance streak with 6. He has a 1.67 ERA for the season and gave up no runs in the month of April. His 6 game consecutive scoreless appearance streak is his second one of the season when he went on an 11 game streak earlier in the season.
Last, but definitely not least, is J.J. Putz. Putz has been the biggest surprise this season as he has been absolutely dominating. He has a 1.42 ERA and is currently on a franchise record, 27 game consecutive scoreless appearance streak dating back to May 7. Over the span of the streak he has had a 27:3 K to BB ratio and has a .140 BAA. His ERA has dropped from 4.91 to an amazing 1.42 and hasn’t given up a run in over 2 months. It’s safe to say that he is the hottest bullpen pitcher for us and things would definitely be different without him.
The stats the bullpen is putting up this year is absolutely astonishing. The collective ERA is high, as it is nearing 4, but as a group there isn’t a crack in the armor. One guy after another can bring the heat, sit guys down, and just stop a rally dead in its tracks. Aside from the issues with Bobby Jenks lately, this is the most solid aspect of the White Sox and has definitely been a major factor for the team going from 9 and a half games down to leading the AL Central. To put it nicely fans, without this bullpen, no one would want to know where the White Sox would be, not even the White Sox themselves.
Buehrle Struggles But White Sox Win Their Third Straight Over The Mariners
After 2 straight complete games, Mark Buehrle struggled but the White Sox offense picked him up and ended up winning 6-5 against the Mariners for their third straight victory to go 8-1 against the Mariners this year.
Buehrle was not the dominant pitcher he has been the past few starts only going 5 innings giving up 5 earned runs on 9 hits with 1 walk and 4 strike outs. The only plus for the White Sox is that Jason Vargas struggled as well. Vargas’ line is almost identical to Buehrle’s as he went 4.1 innings giving up 5 earned runs on 8 hits with 1 walk and 3 strike outs.
Things looked bad from the get go as Buehrle gave up three runs in the 1st, including a double steal of home and second base by Chone Figgins and Russell Branyan. The White Sox managed to get a run back in the bottom half of the inning on the single by Alex Rios to make it 3-1 Mariners. Things got worse as Buehrle gave up a two run homer to Figgins in the 2nd, his first of the year, and the Mariners lead 5-1. As in the 1st, the White Sox answered Figgins’ two run homer with a two run homer by Gordon Beckham, his 5th of the year, and the White Sox trailed 5-3. In the 5th, hot hitting Alexei Ramirez hit his 11th home run of the year and Paul Konerko followed that with his 24th home run of the year and third in three games to tie the game at 5. The White Sox bullpen entered the game after the 5th and shut down the Mariners’ offense, giving up only 2 hits over the final 4 innings. Alex Rios hit his second RBI single of the game in the 7th scoring Juan Pierre to put the White Sox up 6-5. J.J. Putz came in to pitch a scoreless 8th, extending his franchise record scoreless appearance streak to 27, and Bobby Jenks came in and struck out the side in the 9th to earn his 21st save and give the White Sox a 6-5 win.
Alexei Ramirez is absolutely on fire right now hitting his 2nd homer in two games and going 10-15 with 6 RBI in his last 4 games. It looks to me like this offense is trying to show GM Kenny Williams that they don’t need the bat of Adam Dunn to spark this offense. They did come back against the Mariners but it’s still a testament to the White Sox new “never give up attitude”. Is it just me or are you all getting the feeling like they are going back to the “Win or Die Trying” motto that brought them a World Series championship in 2005?
Either way, we are on a three game winning streak and can make it four with a win tomorrow night against the Mariners. The White Sox go for the sweep at the Cell putting Freddy Garcia (9-4 4.74) against David Pauley (0-2 2.18). This is another win the White Sox should get with our best pitcher of the season so far on the mound. So let’s go out there and sweep the Mariners and show them what home cooking is all about. I got my broom ready, so lets make it happen.
As always, GO WHITE SOX!!!!!
Bobby Jenks On His Way Out Of Chicago?, Carlos Zambrano A Future White Sox?, and It’s Adam Dunn Or Nothing
Keep a close eye on Bobby Jenks because this may be one of the last times we see him in a White Sox uniform. The Chicago Tribune is reporting that if the White Sox are as serious as they say they are on acquiring Adam Dunn or Prince Fielder, Bobby Jenks may be traded for a bunch of prospects to help sweeten the deal to acquire either player. While this has come as a shock to some White Sox fans, Jenks has been the subject of trade rumors for the past few years so seeing him being traded isn’t all that surprising. The White Sox bullpen is stacked so if we were to trade Jenks we wouldn’t have to worry because J.J. Putz or even Matt Thornton could step into the closer role and do more than a good job, especially with Putz being a closer prior to this year.
The Tribune is also reporting whispers of a possible off-season trade (yes that’s right, off-season trade) between the Cubs and White Sox that would send Scott Linebrink and Mark Teahen to the Cubs for none other than Carlos Zambrano. It’s too early to speculate how truthful these rumors are but if they are true that would be a huge steal for the White Sox.
Also the price for Prince Fielder is apparently too high as the White Sox have now shifted all of their focus to Adam Dunn. GM Kenny Williams said that he isn’t going to give up Gordon Beckham or Carlos Quentin in any trade but will trade any minor league prospect and either Dayan Viciedo or Daniel Hudson to get Dunn. Even though he said that, he also believes that the asking price is still too high and it’s becoming more and more likely that no trades will happen by the deadline but there is a possibility that they could pick up a player off of waivers just like he did with Alex Rios last year.
White Sox Beat The Mariners In Dominating Fashion
“We won a game yesterday. If we win one today, that’s two in a row. We win one tomorrow, that’s called a winning streak. It has happened before.” For those of you out there not familiar with the “Major League” movies, that’s a quote from manager Lou Brown and it sounds like the White Sox are taking that to heart after their woeful road trip.
Last night the White Sox took it to the Seattle Mariners and beat them in demoralizing fashion with a score of 11-0. Ryan Rowland-Smith was bruised, battered, and beaten as the Mariners left him out there to go 5 innings, giving up 11 runs and 11 hits, bringing his already horrible ERA up to a 6.96. Gavin Floyd continued with another quality start going 7 innings, giving up just 5 hits with no walks and 6 strike outs. Over his last 10 starts, Floyd is 4-2 with an astounding 1.04 ERA and hasn’t given up more than 2 runs in a start since June 2nd. There was no shortage of run support last night as the whole team contributed in the effort. Alexei Ramirez continued his hot hitting going 3-4, including an RBI single and a 2 run homer, A.J. Pierzynski went 2-4 with a 2 run single, Dayan Viciedo went 2-4 with a run scoring double, Paul Konerko hit his second homer in as many games, Gordon Beckham went 2-4 with a run scoring double, and “Mr. 401″ is now “Mr. 402″ as Andruw Jones hit a 3 run homer to end the White Sox scoring. All around it was another dominating performance by the White Sox, and when playing the Mariners, that’s the way it should be.
In other news, White Sox fans can breathe a little easier because Gordon Beckham was told by the White Sox brass that he will not be traded for any player on any team. This is great news because he is the future face of the franchise and will be a superstar for years to come and he isn’t worth giving up for any player, not even Prince Fielder or Adam Dunn. On the other hand, Omar Vizquel stated that he thinks the White Sox need to make a move before the deadline to take that next step into the playoffs. With the White Sox in the position that they are in now, I don’t think a deal is absolutely necessary. Vizquel may have been around for 20 years but he hasn’t been on the team long enough to really openly make a statement like this. Making any sort of move in my opinion is just going to damage the team we have now because any offer is going to take away a major player and it’s just not worth it for rental players.
On a lighter note, due to his recent slump at the plate, the bats of Mark Kotsay were burned thanks to soon-to-be returning player Mark Teahen. When asked about it, Kotsay said “They had it all orchestrated already.” in reference to Mark Teahen. If this really works, maybe Gordon Beckham should have burned his bats a couple months ago.
So tonight the White Sox look to make it three in a row against the Mariners when they take the field tonight at the Cell at 7:10. Mark Buehrle (9-8 3.96) takes on Jason Vargas (6-5 2.94). Vargas is coming off a quality outing against the Red Sox even though he took the loss while Buehrle is coming off a dominating complete game outing against the Athletics. Let’s hope Buehrle can help the White Sox continue their winning ways and gain some ground on the Twins.
As always, GO WHITESOX!!!!
Second Update to the “Dunn” Deal
As I said earlier, quite a bit of news today and this is about as fresh as it gets.
It’s been reported as of roughly 15 minutes ago that the Washington Nationals are looking for the White Sox to sweeten the deal in order to get Adam Dunn. The Nationals have made it very clear that Daniel Hudson has to be involved in the deal no matter what. They now say that they want to receive a second major minor league player in order to get Dunn. The Nationals are willing to take any one of the three following players in a deal for Dunn: catcher Tyler Flowers, outfielder Jordan Danks, and infielder Brent Morel, who is currently injured. It’s also been said that Washington tried to get a straight up deal of Adam Dunn for Gordon Beckham but the White Sox quickly refused that deal on the spot.
This trade situation with Dunn is getting seriously out of hand. The Nationals are asking us to give up way too much for a guy we will have for a couple months. I mean trading Hudson would give us no 5th pitcher for our starting rotation and that is a really heavy blow. Now they want to take our catcher of the future that may possibly take over next season or our best infield or outfield prospect in Morel and Danks. It’s just ridiculous on how Washington is getting so greedy.
Kenny Williams, I said before you needed to pull the trigger on this deal but I admit I was wrong. Just back off of Dunn, it’s not worth giving up so much for a rental player. Find someone else that could fill the role or just stick with what you have. I’d rather have a potential playoff team now and have a future to look forward to as well instead of a playoff team this year and no future at all.
Update To The “Dunn” Deal
As I reported before, there have been talks about the Washington Nationals, Chicago White Sox, and Arizona Diamondbacks making a three way trade where the White Sox would get Adam Dunn, the Nationals would get Edwin Jackson, and the Diamondbacks would get many young pitchers as they are now pitching deprived.
In an update to this story, more information has leaked out about the details of this three way trade. It’s been rumored that from the White Sox, the pitchers involved in this trade would more than likely be Daniel Hudson, Sergio Santos, and possibly Chris Sale, but he would be a player to be named because he can’t be traded until a year from now.It’s also been said that Dayan Viciedo may be thrown into the deal and traded to the Nationals instead of Hudson so that the White Sox can keep their starting rotation intact.
This trade has gone from a good thing for the White Sox into a bad thing because I feel they are giving up too much for too little. Yes Adam Dunn is the left handed power hitter they need but giving up on of their starters, one of the guys that has made their bullpen so solid, and a prospect that may be a future starter since he has already made his way up to Triple A in this short time is just too much. If the White Sox lost Hudson then they would only have 4 starters. With Peavy on the DL and no prospects in the farm system to bring up that are ready for the major leagues it would take the White Sox right out of playoff contention and basically make the trade worthless. Not to mention if the White Sox give up Dayan Viciedo, that takes away their first baseman of the future, possible starting next year if Paul Konerko isn’t signed to a deal. I applaud the fact that both Kenny Williams and Ozzie Guillen aren’t willing to trade away their future for a guy to help them right now. Williams still believes the asking prices are too high right now and Ozzie refuses to want any deal to include Gavin Floyd, John Danks, or Gordon Beckham. Many managers and general managers are so quick to make trades to help them now without looking at the long term ramifications. It’s nice to see that these two have their heads on straight, at least with this issue.
With these new developments, I see this trade becoming less and less likely to happen. It’s too much and costing the White Sox their future talent for a guy that won’t be around for very long. There have been a couple rumors that the White Sox may look at Dunn’s teammate Josh Willingham if the price for Dunn stays too high but what happens is anyone’s guess at this point.
White Sox Getting Back On Track, #35 To Be Retired, and Has Jenks Lost His Touch?
No need to panic White Sox fans, we’re at home so it looks like we will be winning a few in the next 6 games. Last night the Sox “dethroned” King Felix and ended his domination against the Sox as they won 6-1. Prior to the 4 runs scored on Felix Hernandez, the White Sox had no runs against him in the past 23 innings prior to the game and 25 innings before Juan Pierre’s RBI single in the 3rd. John Danks continued his recent domination with another masterful performance giving up only 1 run on 6 hits, walking 1 and striking out 2, lowering his ERA from 3.37 to 3.23. Danks is now 6th in the AL with 11 wins and 6th in the AL with a 1.13 WHIP. Sergio Santos came in a pitched a scoreless 9th to seal the victory. Paul Konerko hit his 22nd homer of the year in the 6th, Alexei Ramirez hit an RBI double in the 6th, Omar Vizquel hit an RBI single in the 3rd, A.J. Pierzynski hit a sac fly in the 8th, and Juan Pierre had two RBI singles coming in the 3rd and 8th innings. It was an all around good performance by the entire team and was a great way to start their home stand after a west coast road trip they would like to forget.
In other news, the “Big Hurt” Frank Thomas has been made an ambassador for the White Sox. For those of you that aren’t sure what that means, basically he becomes another face of the franchise and joins other ambassadors as Carlton Fisk, Minnie Minoso, Ron Kittle, and Bill Skowron. He will do things like show up at charity events, sign autographs, and just promote the White Sox wherever he may be needed. It’s also been announced that the number 35 will be retired on August 29th which will be known as “Frank Thomas Day”. As if the day wasn’t big enough already with the Yankees being in town for that game. Regardless, it’s a well deserved honor for one of the greatest White Sox of all time, and for the record, Frank Thomas is loved by the White Sox and their fans much more than Jim Thome (sorry to disappoint you there Ozzie).
Another issue that was made known over the recent road trip was that Bobby Jenks isn’t as reliable as he once was. When he broke into the league in 2005, no one could touch him. He was nearly unhittable and no one wanted to face him. I mean he did help us win the World Series that year so that speaks for itself. Nowadays he isn’t the pitcher he used to be. After the disastrous blowup in Minnesota giving up 4 runs in the 9th to lose the game and blowing another save against the Mariners a few days later, it’s become an issue that Jenks just doesn’t have what it takes to be the closer anymore. The idea had been thrown around the past few days that the White Sox would go with a rotating closer spot, kind of like what they already do with the DH. Depending on the situation it would either be Jenks, J.J. Putz, or Matt Thornton. Despite the rumors of that rotating closer spot happening, on Monday Ozzie Guillen said that Jenks may be back in the closer role since the last time he was pitching poorly it took one outing to right himself again.
I think that the whole rotating closer spot isn’t a good idea because it puts pitchers in too many different situations. Matt Thornton is a left handed set up man and that’s the way it should stay. When a lefty is needed, Thornton comes in and almost every time he shuts them down with no problem. If Jenks continues to blow saves I think the best option is J.J. Putz. Putz already has success as a closer so it’s not an unfamiliar role to him. He is having an incredible year so why not ride the horse while he’s on a role? It sounds like a good idea to me but apparently Ozzie thinking differently, let’s just hope it doesn’t come back to bite him.
Oh before I forget, I do have to commend Ichiro Suzuki on his home run stealing catch in last night’s game. It was an amazing catch by a superstar athlete and you have to give credit where credit is due.
Tonight the Sox look to make it 2 in a row as Gavin Floyd (5-8 3.87) takes on Ryan Rowland-Smith (1-9 6.27). Rowland-Smith isn’t having a great year as his ERA and record shows so this is a game we should easily take.
As always, GO WHITESOX!!!!!
West Coast Trip Shows White Sox Are Human After All
There definitely appears to be a crack in the armor of the White Sox after a nightmarish 10 game road trip shows just how vulnerable the White Sox really are.
Things were looking up for the White Sox as the last game before the All-Star break ended with a 15-5 win over the Royals earning them an 8 game winning streak. The pitchers were on fire and giving quality start after quality start, the offense was heating up, players were coming through in the clutch, it seemed like the White Sox had it all.
Just a few stats from when the White Sox first went on a 4 game winning streak and have been on a roll:
The White Sox scored 156 total runs over 30 games where they had a record of 25-5. They only allowed 77 total runs over those 30 games, including shutouts over the Detroit Tigers, Washington Nationals, Atlanta Braves, Chicago Cubs, and the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. White Sox pitchers had a combined ERA of 1.92 over that stretch (3.79 if you decide to count Daniel Hudson’s one outing against the Royals but that one game game him an ERA of 11.25 so that makes the ERA of the whole staff jump up big time). Gordon Beckham broke out of his slump to raise his average .038 from .201 to .239 with 9 multi-hit games, an 8 game hitting streak, and started to look like the future All-Star that he is. They shut down teams like the Atlanta Braves and the Texas Rangers who are having great seasons right now and just made winning look so easy and effortless.
Since the All-Star break and the 25-5 record they had leading up to it, things have changed considerably:
The White Sox have a record of 4-6 against the Twins, Mariners, and Athletics. They are posting a collective 4.38 ERA as a staff, including a 10.14 ERA for Freddy Garcia, who was the White Sox most consistent and reliable pitcher up until recently, had the shortest outing of his career on Saturday when he went only 1 1/3 innings and gave up 5 runs in Oakland. The only plus has been the fact that over their past two games Mark Buehrle has posted a 2.11 ERA and Gavin Floyd has posted a minascule 0.75 ERA (1.12 ERA over the entire 25-5 stretch and the 10 games after that). The clutch hitting the White Sox have been having has seemed to disappear with a snap of the fingers. Bobby Jenks is having yet another meltdown after blowing saves and losing the game to both the Minnesota Twins and Seattle Mariners and is starting to create doubt as to whether he can continue on being the closer for the White Sox.
So it’s pretty clear that the swagger the White Sox had in recent weeks seems to have disappeared. The teams they should be beating, they aren’t beating. When they have a lead, Bobby Jenks isn’t closing the door on them, especially in important division games like the game he blew in Minnesota with a 4 run lead going into the 9th. The clutch hitting of Paul Konerko and Carlos Quentin has vanished faster than a fastball leaving Stephen Strasburg’s hand. The White Sox are in a bad way and they need to right the ship quick or they can kiss the postseason goodbye.
It’s hard to watch as a fan because after going 25-5 you expect them to win. When things go bad as quickly as they are, you can’t help but panic because it’s not just one thing here and there going wrong, it’s the entire team taking two steps back after taking a gigantic step forward. I still say the addition of Adam Dunn can help the offense get back on track. The pitching will come around as Daniel Hudson gets more familiar with the major leagues, Freddy Garcia should be able to regain his composure, and the other three (Mark Buehrle, Gavin Floyd, and John Danks) just need to continue what they are doing. As for the closer situation, I completely agree with having whoever fits the situation best pitch in the 9th so Jenks can regain his composure and hopefully go back to being the dominant closer we all know he can be. It’s going to take a lot of things to go right but I know the White Sox can get back into playoff form and steal the Central division while it’s there for the taking.
It all starts tonight with the White Sox being back at home to take on the Seattle Mariners. Southpaw John Danks (10-7 3.37) will take on the ace of the Mariners King Felix Hernandez (7-6 2.75). It will be no easy task but the White Sox will be up to the challenge at home where they are 27-19 this season. I’ll be at the game so I’ll be sure to give a full recap once I get back.
And as always…… GO WHITESOX!!!!!
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